Tongue protector



Aug. 8, 1939. H. H. McKEE 2,168,713

TONGUE PROTECTOR Filed March 29, 1937 Yen 12'. 111 422 INVENTOR 4 T 1 E7' BY 6% c w g ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNiTED STATES PATENTOFFICE TON GUE PROTECTOR Application March 29, 1937, Serial No. 133,726

7 Claims.

This invention relates to means for protecting the tongue of a carcassduring processing.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved tongueprotector for use in protecting a hog tongue from the teeth of thecarcass and from the dehairing heaters during dehairing of the carcass.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means forholding a tongue protector in the mouth of the carcass.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description andclaims which follow.

In the drawing, similar reference characters in the several figuresindicate similar elements. 15 Figure 1 is a plan vieW of a hog tongueprotector embodying the improved holding means of the presentapplication.

Figure 2 is a side view of the tongue protector shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a variation of the hog tongue protector shownin Figuresl and 2.

Figure 4 is a side view of the tongue protector shown in Figure 3.

The tongue protector shown in Figure 1 may be formed of a single pieceof wire 1 forming guard means in the form of coil 2 provided with arms-3 and 4 merging into shoulders 5 and 6. The resilient arms 3 and 4 areheld-within the coil in the preferred construction shown in Figure 1.

A somewhatsimilar construction is shown in Figures 3 and 4, in which oneof the arms is an extension from the upper end of the coil and the otherarm is on the outside of the coil.

The construction shown in Figure 1 is preferred, since insertionissimplified. Placing the extensions within prevents the coil from pullingaway from the extensions if the coil becomes engaged with the teeth inthe hogs mouth during insertion. Furthermore, the inside arrangement ofthe arms simplifies the compression of the arms.

It will be seen that the construction of the device of the presentinvention provides a wire locking head I integral with the device,defined by shoulders 5 and 6, sides 8 and 9, and apex II].

It will be. readily apparent that the tongue protector of the presentinvention may employ any means for holding the tongue, for example, acoil spring such as is shown in the drawing or a total or partialsheath.

The arms 3 and 4 may be compressed preferably with a pair of tongs orother tool, thus reducing the distance between the points II and 12 ofshoulders 5 and 6. The locking head is thus readily forced into the hogsthroat, the end of the tongue being held within the coil spring. Afterinsertion, pressure on arms 3 and 4 is released, and points H and 12 ofshoulders 5 and 6 assume their normal distant position, firmly holdingthe tongue protector in the hogs mouth.

It will be noted that no hooks are employed to hold the tongue protectorin the mouth, and for this reason it can not damage the tongue duringinsertion or removal or tear the inside surface of the mouth of the hog.

Locking head I may be made with any desired spread, and if it is desiredcan be made of such a size that once inserted, it can not be knocked outor removed until the head is severed from the carcass.

I claim:

1. A tongue protector comprising guard means for the tongue and alocking head providing relatively oppositely disposed securing means.

2. A tongue protector comprising guard means for the tongue and alocking head including relatively oppositely disposed shoulders adaptedto hold the guard in a carcass mouth.

3. In a tongue protector, locking means comprising shoulders integralwith resilient arms for movement toward and from one another.

4. A tongue protector comprising a guard means, resilient arms affixedthereto, and a looking means integral with the resilient arms, saidlocking means comprising shoulders adapted to hold the tongue protectorin a carcass mouth and adapted for movement toward one another by theapplication of pressure on the resilient arms.

5. A tongue protector comprising a continuous wire formed into a guardmeans for a tongue in a carcass head, resilient arms extending from theguard means and a shouldered locking head.

6. A tongue protector comprising a continuous wire formed into a guardmeans for a tongue in a carcass head, resilient arms extending from theguard means and a shouldered locking head, said arms being disposedwithin the guard means through a portion of their length.

7. In a tongue protector a substantially triangular locking headproviding locking shoulders adapted for movement toward and from oneanother.

HARRY H. McKEE.

